Mechanically linked personal rapid transit system

ABSTRACT

A personal rapid transit system characterized by &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;mechanicallylinked&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; vehicles which may be &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;unlinked&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; from a main line guideway and individually propelled for routing into stations. Main line propulsion of the vehicles is provided by a continuously moving conductive linkage, the linkage being mechanically engaged with each vehicle during main line operation. The conductive mechanical linkage further forms the secondary for linear electric motors disposed along the guideway which continuously propel the linkage.

United States Patent 1191 Avery Dec. 10, 1974 [5 MECHANICALLY LINKED PERSONAL 3,473,485 10/1969 Catt et al 104/172 8 RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM 3,726,233 4/1973 Swartz 104/172 S [75] Inventor: William H. Avery, Silver Spring, Primay Examiner uoyd L King Assistant Examiner-Reinhard J. Eisenzopf [73] Assignee: The Johns Hopkins University, Attorney, Agent, Firm-Robert Archibald;

Baltimore, Md. Kenneth E. Darnell [22] F1led: Mar. 8, 1973 [57] ABSTRACT [21] PP 339,275 A personal rapid transit system characterized by mechemically-linked" vehicles which may be unlinked" 52 US. Cl. 104/148 LM, 104/172 5 from a main line guideway and individually Propelled 51] Int. Cl B6lb 3/02 for routing into siaiionsline Propulsion of the [53] Field of searchm 104/148 LM 172 S, 173 ST vehicles is provided by a continuously moving conductive linkage, the linkage being mechanically engaged [56] Reterences Cited with each vehicle during main line operation. The

UNITED STATES PATENTS conductive mechanical linkage further forms the secondary for linear electric motors disposed along the 2,666,879 l/l954 Godsey, Jr. et a1 104/148 LM guideway which continuously propel the linkage 3,170,412 2/1965 Sowder 104/173 ST 3,426,887 2/1969 Ward et al. 104/148 LM 25 Claims, 9 DI'aWlng Figures PATENTEL BEE 1 DISH SHEET 1 0F 7 FIG. 1

PAIENIEU mac: 0 mm saw u 1 PATENTEB DEC 1 0 I974 Maser 7 PATENTEU SEC 1 0 I974 SHEET 7 OF 7 MECHANICALLY LINKED PERSONAL RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST The invention herein described was made in the course of or under a contract with the Department of the Navy.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A. Field of the Invention The present invention generally relates to improvements in the field of urban and interurban transportation and more particularly relates to an urban transportation system designed for economical and socially acceptable integration with interurban rapid transit systems in the mass transportation of people into urban areas and the movement of people through the urban areas, including the central business districts thereof. As part of such an urban system, the present invention relates to an apparatus for moving large numbers of people throughout urban areas.

B. Description of the Prior Art Studies in recent years directed to urban and interurban mass transit have shown the need for so-called personal rapid transit" systems employing selfpropelled vehicles which may be routed under central or wayside control from origin to destination without intermediate stops. Such systems require extensive instrumentation of the vehicle guideway and of the vehicle itself to control ,vehicle speed and position and to prevent collisions in the event of power failure or vehicle malfunction. This control equipment, often increased by the need for propulsion systems in the individual vehicles, is directly or indirectly responsible for a large fraction of the installation costs of these systems. Major operating costs are also necessitated by the requirement for costly inspection and maintenance procedures to prevent system shut-downs due to vehicle or control system malfunction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an urban transit system of the type characterized as a personal rapid transit system and which solves in large measure the prob lems of cost and operation which have handicapped the implementation of previous systems. The present invention provides a system which includes a series of small vehicles (e.g., with seats for four adults with additional standing room for two adults), which vehicles move from station to station'preferably supported by a single guideway rail and mechanically linked within the guideway rail by a moving electrically conductive linkage. The present system eliminates the need for instrumentation of the main guideway rail as well as for propulsion and control equipment on each individual vehicle. The vehicles are propelled by the mechanical linkage during main line operation but may be unlinked" and individually propelled and controlled either centrally or on the wayside by linear motors installed in restricted demerge sections of the guideway rail. Thus, the vehicles are routed into stations for passenger exit and boarding onto line interchanges so that non-stop routing from origin to destination can be achieved. Thus, the advantages of personal rapid transit" operation are achieved without the requirement for propulsion and control equipment on the vehicles and without need for instrumentation of the mainline sections of the guideway rail. Since main-line operation is passive, the mechanical linkage controlling the speed and spacing of the vehicles, operational costs are substantially reduced. The mechanical linkage itself forms the secondary of a plurality of linear electric motors spaced along the main guideway rail, the linkage thus moving under the influence of the primary coils of said linear electric motors.

Passengers are interfaced with the vehicles by routing the vehicles into off-line stations where the vehicles are either stopped for boarding or are dynamically interfaced withthe passengers by means of moving sidewalks which allow boarding of the vehicles at zero differential speed such as has previously been described in the art. Basic grid systems which define the layout of a total system employing the present invention are also known in the art and will not be described in detail herein. It can thus be appreciated that the present invention overcomes difficulties and disadvantages encountered with both present and contemplated mass transit systems.

Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is to provide an urban transit system which can be installed at relatively low cost with present technology and materials, which can be operated and maintained at low cost, which will be safe, reliable, quiet and substantially free from air pollutants in operation, which will usually operate on guideways and not require disruption of traffic flow in its operation nor necessitate extensive right of way conflicts, and which will be aesthetically attractive so as to enhance the urban environment.

A further object of the invention is to provide origin to destinationnon-stop transportation, i.e., personal rapid transit, wherein main line operation is essentially passive due to the provision of a moving mechanical linkage which maintains vehicle speed and position, thereby eliminating the need for main line control instrumentation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic illustrating the grid-like layout of an urban transit system employing mechanicallylinked vehicles according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective of the main line guideway rail, the rail being shown in partial section and being cut away to reveal the linkage and the vehicle carriage which supports the vehicle partially shown;

FIG. 3 is an elevation of the carriage employed to engage a vehicle with the mechanical linkage; the carriage being shownin operation within the sectioned guideway rail;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the carriage of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional-view of the carriage and main guideway rail taken through line 5-5 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the carriage and both the main guideway and the switching rail taken through line 6-6 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 7 is a perspective of a portion of the present systemillustrating an interchange in the grid-like layout of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the intersection of the main guideway rail and the switching rail; and,

FIG. 9 is an elevation of a second embodiment of the mechanical linkage.

In order to meet the operational requirements of a typical transit situation, the present invention is operated within a grid-like network consisting of a parallel series of individual endless loop lines arranged in laterally spaced relation and extending north-south and east-west in an intersecting fashion. By way of example, FIG. 1 illustrates a basic grid system used to control the layout and operation of an urban transportation system employing the present structure. The system 10 is composed of a north-south series of individual loop lines 12 and an intersecting east-west series of individual loop lines 14 which service a typical central district of an imaginary urban area. The loop lines 12 and 14 include a plurality of guideway rails 16 which are connected end-to-end so as to provide each said line with a supporting structure having parallel lengthwise sections joined at the ends of said sections by curved end sections to form a completed elongated loop.

As can be seen in FIG. 7, the rails 16 may be supported above ground level by pylons 18 which are spaced apart along the lines 12 or 14 in a known fashion. The system 10 is equally operable on a rail either at ground level or underground. The rails 16 of each loop line 12 and 14 house an endless, continuously moving linkage 20 which may preferably be formed of an electrically conductive aluminum strip approximately A; to inch thick and approximately 12 inches wide. The linkage 20 forms a continuous loop within each of the lines 12 and 14 and is releasably connected to each of the passenger-bearing vehicles 22. The manner by which the linkages 20 are moved about the loops forming the lines 12 and 14 will be described hereinafter. The vehicles 22 are movably supported by means disposed within the rails 16 and are moved therealong by the moving linkage 20 untilsuch time as the vehicle may be routed to another line in a fashion to be described.

The typical grid system 10 of FIG. 1 illustrates a transit layout over an arbitrary area in a fashion designed to provide maximum service for mass movement within such an area. As shown, three laterally-spaced northsouth loop lines 12 intersect three similarly disposed east-west loop lines 14. By placing a section of either of the lines 12 and 14 at three city block (approximately one-quarter mile) intervals, boarding stations may be disposed within the system 10 at regular intervals within easy walking distance of any point within the grid. Of course, the lines 12 and 14 may be more closely spaced in high density areas. Alternatively, in sparsely populated areas, or for certain applications such as within the confines of an airport, a single loop without intersections and with conveniently spaced boarding points could be employed.

Referring generally to FIGS. 2 through 7 and particularly to FIGS. 3 and 7, the vehicles 22 are seen to be generally box-like in conformation and have sidewardly-disposed doors 24 which may be automatically opened and closed during the boarding process as the vehicles are routed through a station. Each vehicle 22 is suspended by means of a vertical supporting beam 26 from a carriage 28 which moves within the rail 16. As can be seen more clearly in FIGS. 2 and 5, the rail 16 is a box-like structure having a hollow rectangular cross-section and is formed with a longitudinal, centrally disposed slot 30 in the bottom wall thereof, the inner faces of flanges 32.formed by the slot 30 on either side of the slot serving as tracks 34 on which the carriages 28 may move.

A typical design of the vehicles 22 may consist of molded or fabricated exterior and interior surfaces formed over a steel frame (not shown), the supporting beam 26 forming a unitary portion of such a frame. The size of each vehicle would nominally be 5 feet long by 4 feet wide by 7 feet high, the payload of each vehicle being at least one thousand pounds. Construction of such vehicles is within the state of the art.

The rail 16 would preferably be formed of a steel beam of the conformation described above and would likely be approximately 22 inches high and 16 inches wide although exact dimensions will vary depending upon the requirements of a particular application. The rail 16 may be appreciably smaller than the overhead rail and track structures previously proposed for selfpropelled vehicular traffic since the carriages 28 of the present system weigh less due to the fact that they are not outfitted with motors or controls. Additionally, ledge-like tracks 36 are longitudinally disposed within the rail 16 on either side of the internal side walls of the rail. The tracks 36 are disposed approximately l0 inches from the top of the rail 16 and provide surfaces on which wheels 37 ride to accomplish a purpose to be described hereinafter.

The carriage 28 has four wheels 38 mounted on lateral stub axles 40 disposed one each on opposite ends of the carriage as shown in FIGS. 2 through 5. Horizontally mounted wheels 42 provide support against side loads, the wheels 42 contacting the internal vertical surfaces of the rail 16 if the carriage 28 is caused to tilt. The wheels 38 and 42 may be fitted with elastomeric treads or inserts (not shown) to reduce operational noise. The vertical supporting beam 26 which is attached to the roof of each of the vehicles 22 extends through the slot 30 in the bottom wall of the rail 16 and connects with the underside of the body of the carriage 28. The beam 26 may, if desired, be integrally formed with the body of the carriage 28 or may, as shown in FIG. 3, have its upper end attached to a damping mechanism 44 which is itself attached to the carriage 28. The upper end of the beam 26 terminates in a journaling collar 46 which is movably circumposed on a support pin 48 carried transversely by the carriage and located between the wheeled ends thereof. Forwardly and rearwardly projecting lateral wings 50 are fixed to the collar 46 and bear on the upper ends of piston rods 52 which are workingly housed in damping cylinders 54. The cylinders 54 are vertically seated in a fixed manner on supporting plates 56 carried by the carriage 28 on the underside thereof and a conventional spring damping assembly or combined hydraulic-spring assembly (not shown) may be operatively housed therein. The damping mechanism 44 is essentially of the type described by me in US. Pat. No. 3,541,962 and functions to prevent large pendulum-type oscillations of the vehicles 22.

Each carriage 28 is provided with projecting toothlike links 58 rising from the upper surface thereof along the longitudinal axis of the carriage. The links 58 are regularly spaced apart and are essentially oval in crosssection (See FIG. 4). The links 58 engage with a series of corresponding tooth-like links 60 which project from the underside of the mechanical linkage20. The intermeshing of the links 58 on the carriage 28 with the links 60 on the linkage 20 acts to mechanically link the carriage 28 and thus the vehicle 22 to the linkage 20. The linkage 20 is further comprised of an aluminum strip 64 approximately inch thick and 12 inches wide and is supported on the tracks 34 by the aforementioned wheels 37 which are joined to the linkage 20 by meansof V-shaped transverse axles, one of which is represented at 66 in FIGS. 2 and 3. By way of example, pairs of the wheels 36 may be attached to the linkage 20 at intervals of approximately feet. The lower two inches of the aluminum strip 64 may be thickened, as at 68 of FIG. 5, to provide additional stiffness to the linkage 20. The linkage 20, being formed of an electrically conductive material, is shown in this first embodiment of the invention as comprising a continuous loop (as described relative to FIG. I). The linkage acts as the secondary of a linear electric motor 70, shown best in FIGS. 2 and 5. The primary coil assemblies 72 of the linear electric motor 70 are disposed within the rails 16 and are fixedly attached to the inner surfaces of the. upper wall of the rails. The primary coil assemblies 72 of the linear electric motors 70 are spaced along the rails 16, a length of motor primary of approximately 60 feet per mile of rail distance being generally adequate for a vehicle density of 100 per mile at speeds up to feet per second. The primary assembly 72 may be energized by any convenient source of electrical energy such as by power generator 15. Propulsion efficiency with state-of-the art linear electric motor technology ranges to 85 percent of the electric power supplied to the primary coil assemblies 72. The linkage 20, acting as the secondary of the linear electric motor, continuously moves about a loop such as the lines 12 and 14 shown in FIG. 1, thereby providing motive force to the vehicles 22 which are mechanically joined to the linkage 20.

Travel of the vehicles 22 about the main loop lines 12 and 14 of FIG. 1 is thus accomplished by the mechanical linking of the vehicles to the linkage 20. Since the main line operation of the system is passive, the mechanical linkage 20 controlling the spacing and speed of the vehicles 22, personal rapid transit is accomplished at a significantly reduced cost. System performance is also unaffected by inclination of the guideway formed 'by the rail 16, changes in terrain elevation being generally accommodated without change in guideway or linkage structure.

The vehicles 22 must be unlinked from the linkage 20 in order to be routed into stations or to provide for line interchanges. The means-by which these operations may be accomplished are shown in FIGS. 2 through 4 and 6 through 8. In general, the carriage 28 supporting a vehicle 22 is unlinked from the linkage 20 and, after routing onto an auxiliary interchange or station guideway rail, is propelled by linear electric motors disposed in the auxiliary rail. FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 6 show structure on the carriages 28 which act to unlink the carriage from the linkage 20.'FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate the structure of an auxiliary guideway used by the vehicles 22 for line interchange or routing to stations.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 6 and 8 and also considering FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 for reference, a conductive plate-like element 74 comprised of a short strip of metal of a rectangular solid conformation is affixed to each side of a switching mechanism 75 spaced forwardly'of the carriage 28 by extension beam 77. The carriage 28 is engaged with the mechanical linkage 20 during main line operation by virtue of the interconnection of the links 58 on the carriage with the links 60 on the linkage. The carriage 28 is constrained against lateral movement within the rail 16 by the wheels 42 which bear on the inner side walls of the rail 16 and by guide'wheels 79 which bear against opposite sides of the linkage 20 along the lower thickened portion thereof. The guide wheels 79 are mechanically operable in concert with apparatus comprising the switching mechanism to be described hereinafter.

When a junction 76 to a by-pass 78 is approached (see FIG. 7), the carriage may be easily disengaged laterally from the linkage 20 by causing a firm laterallydirected force to be exerted on the carriage. This force is provided in the illustrated embodiment by a primary coil assembly 80 mounted on the by-pass rail 78, the assembly 80 being energizablewhen it is desired to unlink a carriage 28 from the main line as determined by a switch control monitor 81 in the bypass rail 78. The structure and operation of the monitor 81 is within the state-of-the art and, as such, is not described in detail here. The primary coil assembly 80 and a secondary plate 29 extending along the side of the carriage act as a linear electric motor in a fashion such as has previously been described. Each carriage 28 has one of the plates 29 on either side thereof. A safety interlock 82 operated by the magnetic force of the primary coil 80 against the element 74 acts to insert a guide wheel 84 into a slot 86 defined in the by-pass rail 78 by the outer inside surface of said rail and a safety rail 88 located within the rail 78 (see FIGS. 6 and 8).

The plate-like element 74 is attracted toward the primary coil 80, thereby causing the interlock 82 to elevate the guide wheel 84 on the same side of the carriage 28 as the element 74 being attracted to the coil 80. Simultaneously, the guide wheel 79 bearing against the opposite side of the linkage 20 is lowered, thereby disengaging said wheel 79 from said linkage and allowing the carriage 28 to be movable laterally toward the coil 80. Movement of the carriage 28 toward the by-pass rail 78 is caused both by the attraction of the coil 80 for the secondary plate 29 and by the mechanical bias of the guide wheel 84 against the safety rail 88.

If electrical failure should occur after a line change has begun, the carriage 28 is mechanically compelled by the bias of the guide wheel 84 against the safety rail to execute the line change. Alternatively, the vehicle 22 could be forced to remain on the main line in'the event of system malfunction. Merging of a vehicle 22 from a by-pass rail 78 onto the main guideway rail 16 is accomplished by reversing the demerge operational sequence. The generally oval shape of the links 58 on the carriage 28 and the links 60 on the linkage 20 facilitate smooth disengagement from and reingagement with the linkage 20. When the vehicle 22 is operating on the by-pass rail 78 either en route to a station or, as seen in FIG. 7, transferring from one main line to a second main line, propulsion is accomplished by linear electric motors 90 disposed in the rail 78, the primary coil assembly of said motors 90 being fixed to the rail 78 and the secondary of said motors comprising the secondary plates 29 which are attached to the carriages Vehicles 22 routed into a station (not shown) may be stopped to allow boarding or may be dynamically merged with passengers through the known use of moving walkways, particularly walkways having a variable speed capability. Switching of the vehicles 22 from the main guideway rail 16 should not impose an uncomfortable jerk or lateral acceleration. Thus, the curvature of the path followed by the carriage 28 must change gradually, the radius of curvature being less than or equal to the square of the vehicle velocity divided by an acceleration of feet per second squared. After switching is completed, the bypass rail 78 should run parallel to the main guideway rail 16 at a lateral distance slightly greater than the width of a vehicle 22, thereby requiring a double curve arrangement such as is known in the art. The curve of a by-pass rail 78 in a main line merge situation must be adjusted to the expected acceleration of a vehicle 22 so that the merging vehicle is not overtaken by a following vehicle on the linkage before connection of the merging vehicle to the linkage. Deceleration of the vehicles 22 after unlinking from the main line linkage 20 and acceleration of the vehicles to main line speed preparatory to merging onto the main line is accomplished by the linear electric motors 90 in the bypass rails 78 under the control of central or wayside computing equipment in a manner known to the art. Thus, control instrumentation is only required in the by-pass rails 78 under the control of central or wayside computing equipment in a manner known to the art, the major portion of the system, i.e., the main line operation, being passive.

Thermal expansion of the linkage 20 may be accommodated in a fashion similar to that employed for priorart cable systems, i.e., maintaining the linkage 20 under tension by use of weights. Alternatively, the linkag 20 may be formed according to the structure shown in FIG. 9, wherein the linkage 20 is formed into sections 100, each section having an essentially triangular extension 102 at one end thereof and a triangular recess 104 at the opposite end. The extensions 102 of each of the sections 100 loosely fit into the insets 104 of the adjacent sections, the sections being held together by a collar 106, which may comprise two strips extending along the opposite sides of the sections 100 and secured thereto, comprised of lnvar, a commerciallyavailable material produced by the E. l. DuPont de Nemour Corporation and which has virtually no ability to expand. The collar 106 has two wheel pairs 108 attached thereto for each section 100 to give maximum lateral stability to the segmented linkage 20. Expansion of the sections 100 is thus accommodated by the clearance provided between the extensions 102 and recesses 104 of adjacent sections. Of course, the extensions 102 and recesses 104' could be formed into a variety of mating geometrical pairings, such as a tongue and groove,

' etc.

Although described as having the vehicle 22 suspended from an elevated rail, the present system could be operated equally well at ground level or even below ground level. In such an installation, the carriage 28 would obviously be disposed below the passengercarrying portion of the vehicle 22, the links 58 on the carriage extending downwardly to engage upwardlyextending links 60 on a mechanical linkage 20 which would move within a ground-level or subterranean main guide rail 16. Additionally, the linkage 20 may be provided in a known fashion with magnetic support in place of the support offered by the wheels 37. Thus the invention may be practiced with modification without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim: I

1. Apparatus for mechanically linking and propelling passenger-carrying vehicles comprising:

a guideway rail;

a continuously moving mechanical linkage extending along the guideway rail and being movable therealong, said linkage being comprised of electrically conductive material;

A plurality of carriages joined to one each of the passenger-carrying vehicles and movable along the guideway rail;

means releasably engaging the mechanical linkage to each of the carriages at spaced points along the linkage;

means for establishing an inductive reaction with the conductive mechanical linkage;

means for electrically energizing the last-mentioned means, thereby causing said means and the linkage to act respectively as the primary and secondary of a linear electric motor, the linkage thus being propelled relative to the rail longitudinally thereto to likewise move the vehicles mechanically linked to said linkage along said rail; and,

means at a first control location along said guideway rail for bringing together said mechanical linkage and the engaging means of a carriage to be propelled by said linkage.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said guideway rail is of a substantially rectangular hollow crosssectional configuration having oppositely facing walls, said mechanical linkage being protectively housed in the rail and. extending longitudinally thereof slightly below one of said walls, the wall oppositely disposed therefrom having a longitudinal slot defining flanges on the rail, the flanges having flat surfaces defining tracks on which the carriages move relative to the rail.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 and further comprising wheels on the mechanical linkage and internal tracks within the rail on which the wheels roll.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the carriages are protectively housed within the rail, the apparatus further comprising wheels on the carriages which engage the inner flat surfaces of the flanges on the rail.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 and further comprising;

ground anchored pylons supporting said guideway rail at a moderately elevated level substantially horizontally to ground level;

a supporting rod extending through the slot in the rail and downwardly from each of the carriages and connecting to one each of the passenger-carrying vehicles; and,

a damping mechanism connecting the upper end of the supporting rod to the carriage to damp pendulum-like oscillations of the vehicle.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mechanical linkage forms a continuous loop and is of a substantially rectangular cross section, the height of the linkage being substantially greater than the width thereof.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the mechanical linkage is of an increased thickness along the lower portion thereof to provide torsional stiffness to the linkage.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said firstmentioned means comprises tooth-like projections on. the carriages and tooth-like ridges on the mechanical linkage, the projections and ridges intermeshing to join the carriages to the linkage.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 and further comprising laterally-disposed wheels on each carriage and which engage sidewalls of the guideway rail on lateral displacement of the carriage.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mechanical linkage is comprised of:

a multiplicity of sections disposed end-to-end, adjacent sections having a spacing therebetween, each section being composed of electrically conductive material; and,

means for holding the aforesaid sections in alignment and along the guideway rail.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the lastmentioned means comprises a collar extending between adjacent sections.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 and further comprising means at a second control location spaced from said first control location and along said rail for separating said linkage from the engaging means of a carriage.

13. Apparatus for mechanically linking and propelling passenger-carrying vehicles comprising a guideway rail;

a continuously moving mechanical linkage extending along the guideway rail and being movable therealong, said linkage being comprised of electrically conductive material and having a multiplicity of sections disposed end-to-end, adjacent sections having a spacing therebetween, and a collar extending between adjacent sections for holding the aforesaid sections in alignment and along the guideway rail;

a plurality of carriages joined to one each of the passenger-carrying vehicles and movable along the guideway rail;

means releasably engaging the mechanical linkage to each of the carriages at spaced points along the linkage;

means for establishing an inductive reaction with the conductive mechanical linkage; and,

means for electrically energizing the last-mentioned means, thereby causing said means and the linkage to act respectively as the primary and secondary of a linear electric motor, the linkage thus being propelled relative to the rail longitudinally thereto to likewise move the vehicles mechanically linked to said linkage along said rail.

'14. Apparatus for mechanically linking and propelling passenger-carrying vehicles, comprising:

a guideway rail member;

a mechahical linkage member disposed to move substantially along said guideway rail member;

means disposed in operative relation to said mechanical linkage member for establishing an inductive reaction with said linkage member to propel said linkage member along said guideway rail member;

means on each of the vehicles for releasably connecting said vehicles to the mechanical linkage member at spaced points therealong and during movement of the mechanical linkage member; and,

means at a first control location along said guideway rail member for bringing together said mechanical linkage member and the last-mentioned means of a vehicle to be propelled by said linkage member.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 and further comprising means at a second control location spaced from said first control location and along said rail member for separating said linkage member from the lastmentioned means of a vehicle.

16. In a transportation system including at least one vehicle and a guideway rail member supporting said vehicle for movement therealong, the combination comprising:

a mechanical linkage member disposed to move substantially along said guideway rail member;

means disposed in operative relation to said linkage member for establishing an inductive reaction with said linkage member to propel said linkage member along said guideway rail member;

means on the vehicle for releasably connecting said vehicle to the mechanical linkage member while said linkage member is moving along said guideway rail member; and,

means at a first control location along said guideway rail member for bringing together said linkage member and the last-mentioned means of a vehicle to be propelled by said linkage member, the linkage member and the last-mentioned means being brought together during movement of the linkage member along the guideway rail member.

17. The combination specified in claim 16 and further comprising means at a second control location spaced from said first control location along said guideway rail member for separating said linkage member from the last-mentioned means of a vehicle, the linkage member and the last-mentioned means being separated during movement of the linkage member along the guideway rail member.

18. The apparatus of claim 7 and further comprising:

axles extending transversely through the thickened lower portion of the mechanical linkage;

wheels on the axles; and,

internal tracks within the rail rollingly engaging the wheels.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said firstmentioned means comprises tooth-like projections on the carriages and tooth-like ridges on the mechanical linkage, the projections and ridges intermeshing to join the carriages to the linkage.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 and further comprising laterally-disposed wheels on each carriage and which engage side walls of the guideway rail on lateral displacement of the carriage.

21. Apparatus for mechanically linking and propelling passenger-carrying vehicles comprising:

a guideway rail;

a mechanical linkage mounted for movement along the guideway rail, said linkage being comprised of electrically conductive material and being of a substantially rectangular cross section, the height of the linkage being substantially greater than the width thereof, the linkage further being of an increased thickness along the lower portion thereof to provide torsional stiffness to the linkage;

a plurality of carriages joined to one each of the passenger-carrying vehicles and movable along the guideway rail;

means releasably engaging the mechanical linkage to each of the carriages at spaced points along the linkage; meansopposing the conductive mechanical linkage for establishing an inductive reaction with said linkage to propel said linkage along said guideway rail; and,

means for electrically energizing the last-mentioned means, thereby causing said means and the linkage to act respectively as the primary and secondary of a linear electric motor, the linkage thus being propelled relative to the rail longitudinally thereto to likewise move the vehicles mechanically linked to said linkage along said rail.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the means for establishing an inductive reaction with said linkage comprises electrically conductive coils.

23. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the guideway rail is formed into at least two portions, one of said portions extending from the other said portion in a direction different therefrom, the first-mentioned portion comprising a by-pass rail, the mechanical linkage moving along said second-mentioned portion thereof, the apparatus further comprising:

a plate-like strip of conductive material on each of the carriages;

electrically conductive coils located on the by-pass rail and located thereon at the point where said bypass rail extends from the other said portion of the guideway rail;

means for electrically energizing the coils on the bypass rail when the strip on the carriage is opposite said coils; and,

means for controlling the energization of the coils on the by-pass rail so that said coils are energized only when the carriage is to travel onto said by-pass rail, the carriage thus being disengaged from the mechical linkage.

24. The apparatusof claim 23 and further comprising:

i a guide wheel on the carriage;

25. The apparatus of claim 24 and further comprising a guide wheel linked to said first-mentioned guide wheel mentioned guide wheel being movable to bear against the mechanical linkage when the first-mentioned guide wheel is not inserted into the slot defined by the safety rail and the by-pass rail.

by said last-mentioned means, the last- 

1. Apparatus for mechanically linking and propelling passengercarrying vehicles comprising: a guideway rail; a continuously moving mechanical linkage extending along the guideway rail and being movable therealong, said linkage being comprised of electrically conductive material; A plurality of carriages joined to one each of the passengercarrying vehicles and movable along the guideway rail; means releasably engaging the mechanical linkage to each of the carriages at spaced points along the linkage; means for establishing an inductive reaction with the conductive mechanical linkage; means for electrically energizing the last-mentioned means, thereby causing said means and the linkage to act respectively as the primary and secondary of a linear electric motor, the linkage thus being propelled relative to the rail longitudinally thereto to likewise move the vehicles mechanically linked to said linkage along said rail; and, means at a first control location along said guideway rail for bringing together said mechanical linkage and the engaging means of a carriage to be propelled by said linkage.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said guideway rail is of a substantially rectangular hollow cross-sectional configuration having oppositely facing walls, said mechanical linkage being protectively housed in the rail and extending longitudinally thereof slightly below one of said walls, the wall oppositely disposed therefrom having a longitudinal slot defining flanges on the rail, the flanges having flat surfaces defining tracks on which the carriages move relative to the rail.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 and further comprising wheels on the mechanical linkage and internal tracks within the rail on which the wheels roll.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the carriages are protectively housed within the rail, the apparatus further comprising wheels on the carriages which engage the inner flat surfaces of the flanges on the rail.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 and further comprising; ground anchored pylons supporting said guideway rail at a moderately elevated level substantially horizontally to ground level; a supporting rod extending through the slot in the rail and downwardly from each of the carriages and connecting to one each of the passenger-carrying vehicles; and, a damping mechanism connecting the upper end of the supporting rod to the carriage to damp pendulum-like oscillations of the vehicle.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mechanical linkage forms a continuous loop and is of a substantially rectangular cross section, the height of the linkage being substantially greater than the width thereoF.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the mechanical linkage is of an increased thickness along the lower portion thereof to provide torsional stiffness to the linkage.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first-mentioned means comprises tooth-like projections on the carriages and tooth-like ridges on the mechanical linkage, the projections and ridges intermeshing to join the carriages to the linkage.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1 and further comprising laterally-disposed wheels on each carriage and which engage sidewalls of the guideway rail on lateral displacement of the carriage.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mechanical linkage is comprised of: a multiplicity of sections disposed end-to-end, adjacent sections having a spacing therebetween, each section being composed of electrically conductive material; and, means for holding the aforesaid sections in alignment and along the guideway rail.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the last-mentioned means comprises a collar extending between adjacent sections.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1 and further comprising means at a second control location spaced from said first control location and along said rail for separating said linkage from the engaging means of a carriage.
 13. Apparatus for mechanically linking and propelling passenger-carrying vehicles comprising a guideway rail; a continuously moving mechanical linkage extending along the guideway rail and being movable therealong, said linkage being comprised of electrically conductive material and having a multiplicity of sections disposed end-to-end, adjacent sections having a spacing therebetween, and a collar extending between adjacent sections for holding the aforesaid sections in alignment and along the guideway rail; a plurality of carriages joined to one each of the passenger-carrying vehicles and movable along the guideway rail; means releasably engaging the mechanical linkage to each of the carriages at spaced points along the linkage; means for establishing an inductive reaction with the conductive mechanical linkage; and, means for electrically energizing the last-mentioned means, thereby causing said means and the linkage to act respectively as the primary and secondary of a linear electric motor, the linkage thus being propelled relative to the rail longitudinally thereto to likewise move the vehicles mechanically linked to said linkage along said rail.
 14. Apparatus for mechanically linking and propelling passenger-carrying vehicles, comprising: a guideway rail member; a mechanical linkage member disposed to move substantially along said guideway rail member; means disposed in operative relation to said mechanical linkage member for establishing an inductive reaction with said linkage member to propel said linkage member along said guideway rail member; means on each of the vehicles for releasably connecting said vehicles to the mechanical linkage member at spaced points therealong and during movement of the mechanical linkage member; and, means at a first control location along said guideway rail member for bringing together said mechanical linkage member and the last-mentioned means of a vehicle to be propelled by said linkage member.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14 and further comprising means at a second control location spaced from said first control location and along said rail member for separating said linkage member from the last-mentioned means of a vehicle.
 16. In a transportation system including at least one vehicle and a guideway rail member supporting said vehicle for movement therealong, the combination comprising: a mechanical linkage member disposed to move substantially along said guideway rail member; means disposed in operative relation to said linkage member for establishing an inductive reaction with said linkage member to propel said linkage member along said guideway rail member; means on the vehicle for releaSably connecting said vehicle to the mechanical linkage member while said linkage member is moving along said guideway rail member; and, means at a first control location along said guideway rail member for bringing together said linkage member and the last-mentioned means of a vehicle to be propelled by said linkage member, the linkage member and the last-mentioned means being brought together during movement of the linkage member along the guideway rail member.
 17. The combination specified in claim 16 and further comprising means at a second control location spaced from said first control location along said guideway rail member for separating said linkage member from the last-mentioned means of a vehicle, the linkage member and the last-mentioned means being separated during movement of the linkage member along the guideway rail member.
 18. The apparatus of claim 7 and further comprising: axles extending transversely through the thickened lower portion of the mechanical linkage; wheels on the axles; and, internal tracks within the rail rollingly engaging the wheels.
 19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said first-mentioned means comprises tooth-like projections on the carriages and tooth-like ridges on the mechanical linkage, the projections and ridges intermeshing to join the carriages to the linkage.
 20. The apparatus of claim 19 and further comprising laterally-disposed wheels on each carriage and which engage side walls of the guideway rail on lateral displacement of the carriage.
 21. Apparatus for mechanically linking and propelling passenger-carrying vehicles comprising: a guideway rail; a mechanical linkage mounted for movement along the guideway rail, said linkage being comprised of electrically conductive material and being of a substantially rectangular cross section, the height of the linkage being substantially greater than the width thereof, the linkage further being of an increased thickness along the lower portion thereof to provide torsional stiffness to the linkage; a plurality of carriages joined to one each of the passenger-carrying vehicles and movable along the guideway rail; means releasably engaging the mechanical linkage to each of the carriages at spaced points along the linkage; means opposing the conductive mechanical linkage for establishing an inductive reaction with said linkage to propel said linkage along said guideway rail; and, means for electrically energizing the last-mentioned means, thereby causing said means and the linkage to act respectively as the primary and secondary of a linear electric motor, the linkage thus being propelled relative to the rail longitudinally thereto to likewise move the vehicles mechanically linked to said linkage along said rail.
 22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the means for establishing an inductive reaction with said linkage comprises electrically conductive coils.
 23. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the guideway rail is formed into at least two portions, one of said portions extending from the other said portion in a direction different therefrom, the first-mentioned portion comprising a by-pass rail, the mechanical linkage moving along said second-mentioned portion thereof, the apparatus further comprising: a plate-like strip of conductive material on each of the carriages; electrically conductive coils located on the by-pass rail and located thereon at the point where said by-pass rail extends from the other said portion of the guideway rail; means for electrically energizing the coils on the by-pass rail when the strip on the carriage is opposite said coils; and, means for controlling the energization of the coils on the by-pass rail so that said coils are energized only when the carriage is to travel onto said by-pass rail, the carriage thus being disengaged from the mechical linkage.
 24. The apparatus of claim 23 and further comprising: a guide wheel on the carriage; a safety rail on the by-pass oppositely disposed from the interior of the by-pass rail and defining a slot therebetween; and, means for inserting the guide wheel into the slot defined by the safety rail and the by-pass rail on energization of the electrically conductive coils to cause the carriage to be positively disengaged from the mechanical linkage in the event of failure of the carriage to completely disengage from said linkage.
 25. The apparatus of claim 24 and further comprising a guide wheel linked to said first-mentioned guide wheel by said last-mentioned means, the last-mentioned guide wheel being movable to bear against the mechanical linkage when the first-mentioned guide wheel is not inserted into the slot defined by the safety rail and the by-pass rail. 